Science and technology news

With peak hurricane season approaching, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is introducing interactive maps that combine real-time data feeds from NOAA’s National Hurricane Center with more than 20 map layers showing the nation’s energy infrastructure and resources. This new tool, available around the clock on the EIA website, allows industry, energy analysts, government decision makers, and the American public to better see and understand the potential impact of a storm.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Energy Disruptions map. Note: A detailed legend can be found on the Energy Disruptions website.

Every year, hurricanes and other extreme weather events threaten life and property. Hurricanes and tropical storms also affect the nation’s energy infrastructure, especially when storm paths traverse offshore oil and natural gas production platforms and pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico, coastal refineries, processing plants, power plants, and energy import and export sites.

The new maps are available at EIA’s Energy Disruptions site. The image above features the predicted path of tropical storm Chantal moving from the Caribbean’s Leeward Islands toward the Atlantic coast of Florida. As the National Hurricane Center revises its predictions, the maps will be automatically updated.